Their Sibling Rivalry
by rain-on-my-soul
Summary: And Dean'll admit, he's a little jealous. Adam Milligan is introduced back into the Winchesters' lives.


Their Sibling Rivalry

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.

A/n: So close! Supernatural season seven is almost here! Here's hoping it's a good one!

Dean is staring at the blue eyes of something that use to be his friend, and he notices the innocent light of an angel beginning to fade away. He watches as what was once Castiel begins to grow dimmer and dimmer in those blue eyes. Dean blinks because he does not think he will be able to look at what replaces that light.

He feels the swift fluttering of a light breeze and opens his eyes. Dean assumes that maybe Castiel has vanished, but it is actually Dean, Sam, and Bobby who have blinked out of existence, only to have reappeared in Bobby's living room. Someone or something has once again gotten him out of a situation that he was not quite ready to handle. And now Dean can concentrate on his brother, the only need that has driven Dean for almost three decades.

Sam is a mess. More than a mess, really. But at least he is conscious. Dean is at his most unease when Sam is knocked out. It always reminds Dean of a nonliving Sam. The only difference between death and a coma being the steady rising and falling of Sam's chest.

Dean takes a deep breath.

"Sam," he whispers. "You okay, Sammy?"

"Dean…?" and it is the voice of someone scared and in pain that answers Dean. It is the voice of someone that needs help. Dean recognizes it as the voice of a little brother who wants his big brother.

* * *

><p>They are at Bobby's for a whole month before anything happens. It is a tense month, emotions and bodies are strained. The time that passes is relatively quiet, hunting wise, but it is this peace that worries the house's inhabitants. They are all trying to be prepared for the next big fight to blow in on the wind that passes through piles of old metal on its way to Bobby's front door.<p>

The first real sign of change comes as a knock on the door. It is the female cop from town that has begrudgingly become an accomplice to covering up Bobby's less than legal job. She has come to check in on things; for the past two nights, neighbors have reported hearing strange noises. The reports lead right up to Singer Salvage. Maybe the case falls under Bobby Singer's "other" job since Sheriff Jody Mills can find no concrete evidence of any animals or runaways near the property. She knows that certain things may be after Bobby and his boys.

When night falls, Dean cannot decide whether or not to take Sam with, or leave him in the safety of the house. Sam decides for Dean. The younger Winchester experiences a sudden, but not infrequent, episode, seizing up and becoming lost in painful memories. Sam stays inside; Dean and Bobby go outside to investigate. They take Bobby's faithful, aging Rottweiler, but who still has a good nose. She disappears soon into the search, hopefully on a scent.

The two hunters begin a thorough exploration through the scraps and parts. They have their weapons ready and they keep nearby one another in case of trouble. Bobby owns a lot of land though. A lot of land that holds a lot of junk. It takes Dean and Bobby hours to search everything. But their searching does not uncover anything. There is no source of the mysterious bumps in the night.

The two start to head back inside. Dean is desperate to check on Sam. Bobby whistles for Molly; he does not want to leave the dog behind. When she does to answer or come running, Dean and Bobby are forced to seek her out, heading towards where Bobby built her derelict doghouse.

Molly is there, whimpering and whining just outside her little house. But she is not alone. Something is in her house and it is blocking her from entering. She sniffs at it, giving it a quick lick. That is when Dean recognizes what it is. It is a body.

"Jesus," Bobby curses.

Dean quickly kneels down and begins to pull the body out of the doghouse because the body is breathing shallowly and shivering uncontrollably in the cold. Dean is instantly shedding his jacket and wrapping it tightly around the male body. He pulls the young man closer to his chest. Dean will not lose his little brother again; Adam is hurriedly carried inside.

* * *

><p>Sam is in one bedroom and Adam is in another. Dean is on the couch, but he is not getting any sleep. Sam still has not recovered from his latest episode and is lying in a temporary coma upstairs. Adam is wrapped in layers of blankets, trying to break through his high fever. Dean tries to figure out what he needs to do when they both wake up.<p>

Sam recovers first, as much as Sam can recover these days, and instantly wants to see Adam when Dean mentions him. Dean does not think it is such a good idea. He is afraid that Sam will be greatly affected by seeing the brother he shared a little slice of Hell with. Dean is afraid that Sam will break, becoming a bigger mess than he was before. Sam pushes past Dean and into Adam's new bedroom.

And suddenly Sam is not a mess. Suddenly he is strong. He is hard; he is pushing it back.

Adam pulls through and awakes from his fever-induced sleep twelve hours later.

* * *

><p>It is Sam that makes sure Adam has eaten everything off of his plate while they are at Bobby's. And it is Sam that gives the kid the biggest piece of pie when he does finally finish his food. It is Sam who makes sure the dark smudges under Adam's eyes are just dirt smears, not hours of sleepless nights.<p>

Throughout all of this, for the next few months, tension is still in the air. They are all still waiting for a new war to fight. But Sam takes care of Adam, even while Dean tries to take care of both of them. Sam hardly lets him. Soon, Dean notices something. Adam looks at Sam the way Sam use to look at Dean.

And Dean will admit, he is a little jealous.

The End.

A/n: Alright, I need to go to bed so that I can make it through my day tomorrow so that I can watch the premiere of Supernatural season 7! I hope you guys enjoyed this piece. I can only pray that Adam will make a lovely appearance this season. Let's get this party started!


End file.
